Handcrafted African Wood Mask 'In Silence'

With eyes closed, this beautiful visage is covered with ornate aluminum repoussé. It is a traditional mask used in funeral rites by the chief priest of the Yiku clan of Ghana's Volta Region. The ceremony expels the souls of the recently dead. 'The almost invisible mouth makes it sacred because of the silence during funerals,' designer Evelyn Kafui Ahianyo explains. 'Its possession assures protection while averting misfortune.'